dear musketeer

October 8, 2012

today i have the pleasure of featuring the home of mandy – this is a long time coming, and i don’t know how many times we’ve talked about making this happen. i’m so happy that her home is the first to be featured on my shiny new site!

mandy is a graphic designer who runs the blog ‘dear muskeeter’. it’s full of awesome etsy finds and cool typography. this is not the first time that mandy and i have collaborated – she is the talent behind my photography branding. i’ve been wanting to photograph her house for some time now, and i’m so glad i did. it’s amazing how much character a little flat can have.

Mandy describes her home as ‘relaxed, bright and quirky’, and says she is influenced by the design, colours and aesthetics that she loves.

Mandy has managed to fill her small space with colour and liveliness, partly due to her collection of gifts she has received from her friends and family. ‘So many of the pretty pieces are presents from loves ones’, she says, ‘like many of my teapots, cute wall hangings made by my nieces, a knitted cushion from my mum and moustache print from a friend.’ Not just an art collector, Mandy is also an art maker, the painting featured in these photographs being one of her own.

What Mandy likes best about her home is the balcony, where the afternoon sun streams in, creating dappled light, and she can relax on the couch outside. She also loves the character that the retro kitchen feel of an older apartment gives, as well as the white walls. ‘I will forever adore the blank canvas they give.’

Mandy says she is inspired by ‘anything and everything’ and that she always has her ‘designer eyes’ on. ‘I may see a great pattern on clothing, or be inspired by the colours in a sunset, or influenced by great street art. I’m also inspired by a lot of creative people I know.’

One question that I always ask my lovely home dwellers is ‘what makes your house a home?’ It’s a question that is central to the whole purpose of this project. For Mandy, it’s that her home is what she calls her ‘little sanctuary’. ‘I walk in after a long day at work and it feels inviting and homely.’

thank you so much for letting me photograph your home – it was a delightful afternoon!